Philosophy
"You are the sum of your actions. The harmony or discord you sow will weigh on your shoulders as surely as any physical yoke. But... there can be advantages. Certain forms of attack inherently lean toward one extreme or the other. They have a rhythm that resonates within you.". :–Smiling Mountain Philosophy in Jade Empire is represented by two schools of thought: Way of the Open Palm and Way of the Closed Fist. Way of the Open Palm The Way of the Open Palm is a path of harmony and guardianship. Followers of this philosophy act with compassion and consideration towards the less powerful or oppressed. Actions * Lending the farmer money in An Unfortunate Debt. * Giving Kia Min a poultice made of red silk grass in Kia Min. * Giving back Old Mother Kwan her teahouse in Old Mother Kwan. * Gathering Baker Bei and his wife Seamstress Lan into Ai Ling's Boathouse and solve the problem with Ai Ling in The Beaten Baker. * Refusing to accept Lan's dowry as reward in The Beaten Baker. * Returning the stolen clay figurine from Tong back to Merchant Cheung in The Stolen Memento. * Agreeing to help The Forest Shadow to defeat The Mother in The Sickened Forest. * Helping the stranded orphan girl to get across the water and escape the caves in Stranded Orphan Girl. * Giving Cameo portrait to Old Wei in Tien's Landing and tell him to keep it. * Freeing Yeung Yifong and Fuyao from pirates and slave traders in Yifong and Fuyao. * Refusing to help Master Smiling Hawk in the riddance of Master Radiant from Black Leopard School in Black Leopard School. * Defeating Master Smiling Hawk and report to Master Radiant in Black Leopard School. * Convincing Ji Xin that he can still have redemption if he donates his liver in order to save the dying daughter of Wen Zhi in The Scientist. (Note: This won't be possible, if you chose Dr. An to save Wen Zhi's daughter instead.) * Dispersing the spirits of Merchant Bai's tormentors - Si Tsu and Si Ran and report to him in A Fearful Ghost. * Convincing Ren Ming to forgive his wife Ren Feng for his death in A Vengeful Ghost. * Finding a way to free Scholar Songtao from being accused of slave trading in The Slave Traders. * Helping Creative Yukong escape the Imperial City in Creative Yukong's Bounty. * Allowing Aishi the Mournful Blade to kill Captain Sen, then defeat her afterwards due to her request and talk to the old man that gave you the task after her death in Aishi the Mournful Blade. * Paying Sweet Poison Lyn 500 silver so that Gambler Daoshen may take higher bets. Return for reward in The Gambler's Favour. * Freeing the slaves that were shipped from the Necropolis in Kill Master Shin. * Freeing the slaves from prison level so they will be spared from being sacrificed for the golems in Create a Spirit Shard. * Helping Jinlin getting the artifact and ask for nothing in return in Jinlin. * Aiding Chai Ka to banish Ya Zhen. Way of the Closed Fist The Way of the Closed Fist values strength above any other virtue. Whilst acts that are considered "evil" give Closed Fist points, the school of thought prizes independence and ambition over cruelty or greed. Many characters associated with the "low path" are perceived as tyrannical, but a true follower improves the individual to benefit their surroundings. Actions * Telling the farmer to handle his own problems in An Unfortunate Debt. * Giving Kia Min a poultice made of bearded tongue grass in Kia Min. * Keeping Three Sheets Dutong's secret about his Imperial Writ in Old Mother Kwan. * Killing Creative Yukong for bounty in Creative Yukong's Bounty. * Switching Minister Sheng's gift that he supposed to give to Judge Fang with turtle eggs, which Henpecked Hou gave to you as an option to gain the trust of a Lotus Inquisitor Recruiter in The Inquisitors. Considerations On the surface, both philosophies seem to form a standard, dualistic morality system. However, The Way of the Closed Fist and The Way of the Open Palm both present the player with questions about the application of their fundamentals. As Smiling Mountain concludes (if asked), The Way of the Open Palm is susceptible to "tyranny from within". This isn't fully explored in the game, yet the tenants of "the high path" can favour an iron grip over a guiding hand. Some of the in-game choices involve enforcing the player's will via the virtue of strength. For example, the choice to kill The Mother instead of The Forest Shadow in the questline The Sickened Forest. Whilst the demon's destruction restores harmony to The Great Southern Forest, it requires causing discord through violence. When also accounting for the fact that all of the Cannibals were once people who were "twisted by hunger" it serves to challenge the concepts put forward by The Way of the Open Palm. A less nuanced but still questionable scenario is that of Emperor Sun Hai and the Long Drought. Obviously his actions caused extreme discord and are viewed as the epitome of selfish human ambition, but was it truly an unjust course of action? Harmony was disrupted, but that same harmony had ravaged the Jade Empire, killing thousands (most of whom can be presumed to be peasants or farmers) and wiping out towns. The Way of the Closed Fist is often dogmatized but it also prides those who challenge complacency, so much more so when abiding by order results in a high death toll. The Way of the Open Palm does indeed have its hidden dangers as Smiling Mountain suggests, the primary of which is its similarities to The Way of the Closed Fist. Both can encourage violence, whether or not it was in the interests of keeping order is often trivial. The low path is not without its virtues, however. By instilling its followers with the strength to act, it can drive much needed change in otherwise steadfast hierarchies. Category: Gameplay Category: Jade Empire Category:Closed Fist Category:Open Palm